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Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Christian devotion: The Bible Epic Mini-Series - Acts 26:10

Acts 26:10 And
that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I
put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I
cast my vote against them.

The History Channel’s award winning
mini-series “The Bible” was one of the
most successful TV series ever watched. Its stunning special effects and great
cast of actors and characters made the whole show compelling from beginning to
end.

Sales for the recently released DVD have been rocketing and
because of this success, the producers intend to make a new series called AD –
After the Bible - which will tell the story of the First Christians and the
persecutions that they endured. I hope that this proposed series is just as
successful, because a lot of Christians today don’t really know (or even want
to know) about the harsh conditions that our Faith ancestors experienced.

In today’s passage from Acts 26, the
apostle Paul continues to witness before the Roman authorities. He candidly
tells them of his murky past and how he once persecuted the sect that he now
embraced. It was a courageous thing to do because any of the rulers could have
refused to listen to his testimony and just send him on to the Emperor in Rome.

Eventually Paul would reach the Eternal
City, as Rome was once called, and make his appeal before Nero. Such audacity
would cost him his life and he would be martyred about the same time as Simon Peter,
the Big Fisherman, was crucified during Nero’s persecution of the Christians.

As we go about our own business today,
we should perhaps stop for a moment and consider the price of the Faith that we
freely embrace. Without the courage, tenacity, and perseverance of those First
Christian martyrs like Peter and Paul, we would never have known about Christ’s
Life, Ministry, Teaching, and Resurrection. May we also remind ourselves that
it is our duty to be positively faithful and to also persevere in the midst of
a pervading secular culture, which is sadly becoming more indifferent to
Christianity as each decade passes. The witness to Christ that we display
today, may indeed become the foundation of faith that will be needed in the
future.

Questions for personal reflection

What do I know about
the First Christians? How has their strong faith affected me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for the
faithful cloud of witnesses who laid down their lives in order to spread the
Gospel and expand Your Kingdom. We are grateful for their perseverance in times
of persecution and suffering, which enabled them to endure and overcome their
unjust and cruel treatment. Keep us mindful of their loyalty to You, and enable
us to faithfully witness to Your words and ways in our own current community,
culture, and civilization. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to ask a question or make a comment about today’s message,
please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

You
can view and even purchase a copy of the Bible mini-series DVD at the following
link: http://amzn.to/17DSfTu